Ruins of the Carmo Convent – a reflection of the earthquake

Largo do Carmo is a friendly little square in the heart of Chiado, among good restaurants, there are in there the Ruins of the Carmo Convent. Built in 1389, the Convent was left in ruins after an earthquake in 1755 (as well as much of Lisbon). It is believed that this was the most powerful earthquake in the history of the old continent, and had its consequences aggravated by the social context of the city.

Portugal has always been a very religious country, and by an unfortunate coincidence, the earthquake happened on a November 1st, All Saints’ Day in the Catholic Church. In this date is customary to remember the deceased loved ones, therefore, the churches were full and many candles were on. Because of this, a major fire began after the earthquake, further aggravating the disaster proportions. Despite the tragedy, the convent ended up with an interesting architeture, with arches pointed for nowhere, overlooking the sky.

Do you want to know the Carmo Convent?

In the Chiado e Bairro Alto Tour you can know the Carmo Convent Ruins and other points of interest. On board our 100% Electric Tuk Tuk, you can discover these two bohemian neighborhoods in Lisbon in an authentic and fun way.

After this event there was an attempted reconstruction of the place, which was not carried forward, due to the extinction of religious orders in Portugal in 1834. This explains some neo-Gothic aspects of the building. One of the best places to understand the damage caused by the earthquake and also to observe the Gothic architecture in Lisbon. Although not among the most visited and famous monuments in the Portuguese capital, it is certainly a unique place.

The place also hosts the Carmo Archaeological Museum. There are objects of the Paleolithic and Neolithic in Portugal, a library with rare books, a miniature replica of the convent before the destruction, two mummies and Gothic tombs (including King Fernando I). The place is small but quite interesting.

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